Replacing an Original Nintendo DS Shell! 

Honestly the og Nintendo DS has been a pain to find reshells for. I said screw it and bought some originals that were in very good condition. The day we get high quality OG DS shells will be the day I don't treat mine like a fragile vase lol.

A WARNING FOR ANYONE PLANNING TO DO THIS! When you're re-installing the bottom screen be extremely careful. The foam covering it is usually slightly off to begin with and when you peel it back/cut it to remove the ribbon cable stuck to it‚ the foam can be displaced even more. Make sure all of the metal on the bottom screen is covered!! If any of it comes in contact with the motherboard it WILL short circuit the DS. Nobody seems to make note of this in tutorial videos but it's a huge problem to solve if it happens. I've lost 2 DSes to this when I started repairing original DSes and I've seen others who have made the same mistake as a beginner.

I’ve done many OG DS case replacements and have yet to find a quality replacement. The most common issue was, even when using all original screws, the screws holding the speaker PCBs will poke through the finish surface before they tighten the speaker PCB. Leaving you with that common white plastic stress mark to the left and right of the top screen. I’m happy to see that didn’t happen here.

This video made me remember that I actually HAVE an original DS with a broken hinge sitting within feet of me at my desk, and now I kinda wanna fix it up now.

Fun fact: The original DS wasn't allowed beyond the prototype stage until it could drop from the height of a shirt pocket ten separate times without losing any functionality.

I replaced my DS's shell with this exact same Chinese shell and couldn't help but be dissapointed. Not only was the console a complete hell to work on, the shell felt very low quality, like you mentioned. It might be worth the effort if your shell is messed up beyond repair but I would recommend looking for higher quality parts.

It's amazing how old that battery hasn't turned into a spicy pillow.

I'm so disappointed that the aftermarket DS shells aren't that great. It seems like there's a lot of good options for the gameboy family. I just wanted to refurbish a DSi XL to like new condition but was so disappointed by the shell quality I sold it and just got the best condition used DSi XL I could find.

I love all the other retro tech but these handheld console videos are my favorite and you're the only one who does them right, please do more!

I loved the DS Phat Model, it had such an early 2000's design that when i hold my original Day 1 DS Phat (still in relatively good condition) i just have waves of loving nostalgia for it

This video helped me to reshell my old DS which had exactly same issues - thank you!

I could listen to your voice all day! So smooth and flowy 😁

Always a good day when a TDNC vid drops!

Nice video work! Thank you! I’m replacing a motherboard on my original DS and this helped!

I see Colin, I click. No matter the time.

Thank you for this video I had two broken D's consoles one with broken top hinge and one with broken bottom hinge thanks to this video I managed to strip them both down and make one complete working console which now has good hinges well for now at least lol

I haven’t seen the original DS model in over a decade, the original model hasn’t aged well because of the awful hinges that cracked. I still have the DS lite, and played DS and GBA games last year. That’s cool that you were able to replace the whole DS shell!

Love these console repairs

Hope you drop another vid when you decide to reshell it again. Plus its nice to see you revitalize older tech!

Great video !!! Keep them coming. I just recently replaced my OG DS case to, if you find a higher quality case please do a video on it.

Beautiful. I restored a DS lite with royal purple synthetic RIT and a clear shell to make homemade atomic purple. Mine was from aliexpress, $12.99 or so. the one with the most sales and good reviews. everything lined up well. took about a month to get it is all. was not that brand cant remember which one but check the reviews.

I stopped working on replacing DS shells. They're a pain, and I could never find high quality ones that felt as good as the original or even close.

Thank you very much for this walkthrough! I just replaced mine and it looks great.

These videos always make my day

I've just received ds fat replacement case,opened youtube and saw this video in recommendations :)

Watching all of the various repairs Colin has done over the years gave me the confidence to replace the damaged touchscreen in my DS Lite! Thanks, Colin!

Nice work. I had an original DS for a period but definitely preferred the Lite.

This went well until it didn't. The top screen ribbon is a genuine 6itch! It's a voluminous path back through the hinge, then slot, behind the touch screen foam then snakes up and over to connect back to the board and this is about where things fell apart. The ribbon ripped toward the end after just about everything was connected again so I had to order a new one. Around $10 on ebay and got the new one installed but now it wouldn't power up; green light then shut down. In for a third time with some electrical tape and it finally booted up so rejoice.. but wait, the bottom screen's touch didn't work. Fourth time in and cleaned under the digitizer and wiped it down, there was a little crud but not much, then sprayed both sides of the board with contact cleaner and unhooked and reseated the 3 display ribbons. Success. It now boots and the touch screen is calibrated and just as reactive as I recall. But... down button and A button need some extra force to register. I can live with this for now as a fifth attempt might doom us all. Patience and a steady hand is key. It was almost smashed more than once. Also, document exactly how that top screen ribbon cable is situated and you just might make it through. Thanks for the vid!

I really hope you or someone else can find a good source for quality shells. I've been resorting restoring original shells. Sanding out scratches and spray painting them to lackluster results has been frustrating.

Awesome Colin loving it....

Quite an amazing portable console!

Thanks for sharing! 👍

A good job Colin!

I too found one 2 years ago. Swap the shell for a red shell. The battery is still charged today. I don't use it. I got a dsi with a great battery too. I already put stress on the one plastic hinge just pushing in the hinge mechanism. Thankfully it didn't break.

LOVE the Ninetudo DS! lol

Even if the final result and build quality aren't good, that all-black color scheme still looks really great tbh

Broken screen hinge was a common issue with the original DS. Not so much later models to the same extent. My DS Lite is still rocking fine. Just the shoulder buttons don't always press.

Great tutorial. I followed up until the metal bracket to the back lol. No wonder the screw didnt tighten

ah yes, the rare Ninetudo DS.

It's a shame there aren't any high quality replacement shells for the Original DS as of yet. I'm hoping that new shells will come out similar to how the SP got high quality transparent shells in a small span of time.

I remember replacing my sister’s DS lite shell after she broke the corner on the top… that DS is still working and look really similar to the original, nice video Colin

I coulda used this video 4 years ago when I attempted this myself and severely messed it up

The yellow plastic seems to be an issue Nintendo were having with the ABS around the time of the switch between GBA and DS - the pearl blue GBA SP has the same issue, maybe other colours too. My original DS had it too, complete with the top housing disintegrating as I went to re-shell it. The new shell I got was the 'hardened butter' edition where it needs a bit of plastic cutting to fit one of the circuit boards into the top, which isn't too bad since the plastic is as solid as, well, hardened butter. It's since cracked on a different part of the hinge plastic... granted, I don't think I put the hinges in quite right but still disappointing. Ended up just getting a fairly cheap, good condition DS off eBay that has a top screen issue since the electronics in mine are fine so hopefully that will arrive in one piece. Re-shelled my DS Lite years ago and though it doesn't fit together quite right below the touch screen and the stylus slot doesn't hold the original stylus well, it's not too terrible in comparison. Had barely any problems with Game Boy shells, other than a GBA one deciding to crack one day.

What a lovely channel.

Great video! I need to do the same to my DS. Where can I find a shell?

My original DS still works perfectly, even having used it well after the DS Lite came out. I liked the feel of the clicky buttons compared to the DS Lite, as well as being able to use my GBA SP chargers on it. I always thought the hinges broke because people were too rough with it, and that's probably generally true, though it seems the hinge design did improve over time. Seeing the plastic break so easily is crazy.

Would love to see you mod the nds screen with better one. Or the housing with a good custom design.

....not gonna lie Every time your intro music plays, I have to get up and dance for the blissful 7 seconds it lasts

I love your videos man! This one was great. I still have my childhood DSlite sitting somewhere - the screen hinge cracked and the top screen is floppy and shows off-colour (probably a damaged flex cable). This vid is great inspo to go back and repair it, for old times sake, or at least as thanks to the old soldier for the years of service through my rough years in high school. Sucks that there are are no good OG DS shells. On a different topic - does anyone know of a screen replacement mod for this bad boy? Similar to the bright backlit screen mods for GBA and GameBoy. I still have a soft spot for the chunky form factor of the OG DS! It was my first after all.

Wow, I had the EXACT same "brand" of shell way back, but I chose a white one, matching it with the original black buttons for a "stormtrooper" look. Your complaints are the same as mine back then: soft screws and low quality plastic. Mine even came with one of the screw posts filled with plastic, so I had to drill it to make space for the screw. Overall it was "worth" the cheap price, but certainly could have been better.

That's what I was hoping for a quality housing replacement for the original DS and all my other handhelds

I'm curious to know if in you line of work 3D printers and scanning technology are used by some enthusiasts? Although it wouldn't have been practical in this situation, but what about in cases where through symmetry and image reflecting, or just filling in the pieces for the design of a broken part and using 3D printing replacement is easier/cheaper than searching for a supply source.

Really hope that they start mass producing shells for this generation. I've got a transparent jungle green shell for my D's lite and would love to do my original D's in the same. Mine does look a little worse for ware in its original gray from launch day. Good to know the things to look out for.

what is the best gameboy advance glacier shell? i only have to replace the back shell half

me and you both bro Towards the end when you bring up the question of where you can get good reps. Same question I have as to where to find good replacement linear power supplies for electronic devices that dont feel all cheap and poorly made and like they are gonna blow up. I recently brought a ebay ac adaptor for a machine and it is so cheap and doesnt even feel heavy and lacks a transformer in it like the original one had. It is a switch mode based one as apose to the original linear design.

I also recently replaced the shell on an original NDS that I had and the quality really is sub-par. It's a shame because I love the form factor of the original DS, but it's going to be harder and harder to find replacement parts. I also replaced the scratched up digitizer and thankfully, the quality on the new one from HandHeldLegend was great. The shells are pretty bad, though. I wanted to re-use the original buttons but for whatever reason, the original button circumference was too large to have the buttons travel freely without getting stuck, so I used the aftermarket ones. The power/select/start and D pad were fine, but the ABXY buttons were all too large for the aftermarket shell but the aftermarket buttons work fine and travel well.

That black shell is okay, but the purple one is miles better, man. Great job, though.

I'm also looking for a high-quality DS Phat replacement shell... it's not easy to find. I'm almost buying used DS with good condition shells just to replace them on my other DS

Are there any good top screen og DS replacements floating around?

i liked the replacement shells color, would like to paint my dsi to the same color

My select and start buttons don't Stick out of the console like yours. What should I do to make the stick out more?

I really wish there was an ips mod kit for the original DS. I love the design and feel of the original DS but the screens are so bad

I did a shell swap recently from a broken hinge silver shell to an ebay/aliexpress black shell. The shell I received looks to be better quality than the one here. I reused the bottom shell of the original as that was in good condition. The replacement top screen lens has a slightly smaller viewing window than the original, so a little bit of the picture is cut off. It's better to reuse the original screen lens. I also had to sand down the area for the top sticker so it would sit flush. The original silver shell broke apart as I removed the screens, just like in the video.

My DS Lite´s top screen died or to be more specific the ribbon cable had corrosion inside and gone was the copper wire inside.

I bought a red phat NDS and turned out it had a replaced shell while not advertised as such. If i had know i wouldn't have bought it as it's feel so cheap and has a lot of panel gap issues. I don't deem replaced shell Gameboys / NDS's / 3ds's anything worth for my collection, but for pure functionality its fine

If you do find a good quality case replacement, please post an update. I ended up mixing an aftermarket housing with as much of the original as i could salvage due to how poorly the pieces fit. I would love to finally get it to a place i'm happy with.

My original DS is broken just like yours. Didn't dare to replace the shell myself though but seeing how brutally easy the plastic can brake scares me.

I don't see much maintenance done on the original nds, other than shell change. Mine won't retain settings more than a couple days.

Where can I get someone to replace my shell? Cuz the middle part, the plastic hinges, broke but the actual hingers work fine. And I just got this too

I have always wanted to meet my individual seeking. Now that i know that i need a Ninetud replacement shell in order to do so.. Perhaps now, someday i will find her. :D

This is why I’m looking for an affordable DS that has an original case without a broken hinge. That’s getting harder to find for a good price, considering the eventual brittle nature of the plastic used.

I remember when my friend got his Nintendo DS imported from Japan and I played the Mario 64 game or what it was called, and the sound was so impressive as it sounded as there were stuff behind me.. Was so Wow:ed by DS back then, miss those days where one could drop the jaw over tech.

I never did buy a DS when it first came out, but I did eventually get a DSi when it was released and I loved that handheld up until my cat knocked it off my bedside table and it shattered the plastic hinge. I then bought a 3DS XL to replace it, which I still have and enjoy playing. Somehow I managed to lose quite a few of my games though, a tragedy indeed.

I still have my OG DS, with the same hinge problem. Still works great and I use it to play my GBA games. It got well loved from Metroid Prime Hunters. It's battery, 15 years later, still holds a charge for a respectable amount of time.

My previous Japanese Candy Pink DS succumbed to broken hinge syndrome 2 weeks ago. 😔 I'm importing a broken top screen one so I can make that into a macro DS and use the shell. 😀

I replaced my shell years ago, got it on ebay, and the ds still works fine but the battery was swollen so I am waiting for the replacement battery. This will be the third battery its had since I bought it in 2005 for $150 at kmart.

I have replaced the shell for my Original Nintendo DS system, but it won't turn on. I read it could be the ribbons that aren't connected well? I don't get a green light when I push the power button but it does charge and show the orange light. So Idk what I should look out for to fix this? :)

Man, I still can't find a replacement shell for my n3ds. It's frustrating because there's like hundreds for the xl model that also costs a lot more to get secondhand even now. And mine looks ready to break apart, like yours.

where did you buy the case? in cant find one

good thing i watched this. Not that i need to do this but yeah I'm not replacing a shell for original. too many ribbon cables.

0:50 Unless my memory is failing me, that milky off-white was just kinda the color underneath the silver paint. I recall seeing spots like that on my DS as a kid.

Yeah I bought a clear shell for my DS Lite off of eBay and it's pretty bad quality, which was a surprise since I bought it from the same seller that I got a GBA SP clear shell from which is much better quality. Different factories, I guess?

1:45 "One day I was disassembling and found this big ribbon cable. Then I rolled the cable over and underneath was a tiny little cable. And I was like, 'that cable had a child' ". *Seagulls! (stop it now) paraphrasing.

I love my Ninetud Stitch

Where did you bought new DS shell?

Maturing is realizing that tank version is the best

Mine went so long without having the broken hinge problem, I don’t even know how it happened. I might just try and super glue it back together since I still have the part that broke off and I hate dealing with ribbon cables

I have done tons of shell replacements ds , dsi and DSi XL are of very poor quality. Psp shells are usually good but have poor logo printing on them . Ps vita shells are excellent quality is just like original

I really want to restore mine but I have to source the top screen to do so. Mine yellowed so bad its unplayable.

I like the feel of the original DS more than the lite or DSi, its just too bad that there really aren't any mods for it, or that the shells for it are very cheap, I'd like to fix mine up if I could someday get a mod for brighter screens, possibly a more durable shell maybe something metal like, and a glass protector would be nice too, but until that day comes I guess I have to stick to my 3DS XL.

If you ever find somewhere that does really good shells please let me know lol, I have a blue "fat" DS complete in the original box but the paint is starting to wear on the shell. :c

I don't know about y'all, but my favorite retro console is definitely the Ninetudo 69.

15 years? That's the DS lite. The original DS is actually already 17 years old. And yes, I feel old.

The thing about these cheap shells that’s bothered me for a long time is the potential of having a high lead content. They don’t manufacture them well and they use weird paints. Im always worried about those things.

Currently I can only find pink shells for sale online. It’s not the end of the world but I swear I’ve never seen a pink one of these out in the wild

I love OG DS design but again I think DS lite have better design and better grip for handheld.

3:59 “likely done to cut costs” you mean likely done because there was nothin wrong with the speakers in the GBA SP Lol

I really wish Nintendo would do more to help the restoration community with spare parts.

I have og ds for 16 years rn and i don't have problems with hinges but i probably buy the case... Just in case Xd

The day the DS phat gets a nice replacement shell being actively manufactured is the day I can forget about ever needing to work on the POS feat of engineering known as the DS Lite, like look how straightforward the assembly of this model is compared to that one.